Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at Age 89.
This award-nominated actor Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.
The actor, with filmography spanned Chinatown, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared in a statement from her offspring, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in several movies such as Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero as well as my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist as well as compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Beginnings and Rise to Fame
Ladd’s early career featured supporting roles on television series including Perry Mason while the 1970s featured her performing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she appeared in crime thriller the movie Black Widow and comedy sequel Christmas Vacation and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a sitcom derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received a further best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she was awarded another nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.
“This was the film that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited Laura and I to London for a premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The nineties featured performances in comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played the mother of Dern once more. That period also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She continued to star with her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She also appeared with Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She additionally penned and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film that included Diane Ladd and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Actually, I am the sole female in history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence on my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and told her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery when her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.
